In a heartwarming tale of friendship and innovation, two Sri Lankan high school rivals, Buddhika Kottahachchi and Sasakthi Abeysinghe, have emerged as the driving forces behind YouTube's groundbreaking AI-powered dubbing tool, Aloud. This dynamic duo's journey from competitors in the world of competitive programming to co-creators and close friends is a story worth sharing.

A Shared Sri Lankan Connection: Buddhika and Sasakthi's paths first crossed in their homeland, Sri Lanka, where they both nurtured a passion for competitive programming. They represented rival high schools but found common ground in their unconventional approach to coding, which focused more on hacking than textbook algorithms. Their shared interests forged a lasting connection that would transcend the years.

From Competitive Programmers to Google Colleagues: As fate would have it, their careers eventually led them both to Google, and subsequently, to YouTube. The rekindling of their friendship paved the way for numerous collaborations and innovative ideas. Their journey towards creating Aloud began during the COVID-19 lockdowns when they sought to tackle meaningful problems.

The Birth of Aloud: The inspiration for Aloud struck when Buddhika found himself unable to watch the third season of the Danish series "Borgen" due to difficulties in assembling voice actors for dubbing. This challenge led to the inception of Aloud, a groundbreaking tool designed to bridge language barriers by dubbing video content.

Buddhika's childhood experiences played a significant role in shaping his vision. Growing up in Sri Lanka, where English-language content initially dominated television, he viewed TV as a "magical box" with inaccessible content. As more shows were dubbed into his native Sinhala, his interest in technology grew, sparking his passion for innovation.

The Journey of Building Aloud: Building Aloud was akin to embarking on a startup venture. The process required creativity, problem-solving, and perseverance. However, being part of Google's Area 120 incubator provided them with access to remarkable talent, technology, and distribution capabilities.

Roles in the Aloud Project: Buddhika Kottahachchi serves as the Head of Product for YouTube Dubbing, focusing on enhancing the user experience for creators and viewers. He actively seeks out different perspectives to refine the product continuously.

Sasakthi Abeysinghe, as the Team Lead and Principal Software Engineer for Aloud, empowers the team to achieve remarkable feats. His primary goal is to enable the team to overcome challenges and produce innovative solutions.

Positive Reception and Future Goals: The reception for Aloud has been overwhelmingly positive, with creators and viewers alike expressing enthusiasm. The tool has enabled Spanish and Portuguese-speaking audiences to access dubbed content, fostering a deeper connection with their local languages and cultures. Buddhika and Sasakthi envision a future where language barriers become a thing of the past, bringing the world closer together.

Creative Outlets Beyond Work: Outside of their professional endeavors, Sasakthi found creative outlets through YouTube, using it to learn various skills, from photography to woodworking. He's even embarked on a project to build a remote-controlled lawnmower for challenging terrains.

Buddhika, on the other hand, shifted from coding to cooking as his primary creative outlet. He explores culinary inspiration through YouTube and is an advocate for smart home technologies.

Co-Founders and Friends: Having known each other for nearly three decades, Buddhika and Sasakthi agree that their friendship provides a strong foundation for their collaboration. Trust, open communication, and mutual support are among the benefits they derive from their close bond. The only downside? Daily doses of humor from Buddhika's jokes, which, as Sasakthi admits, do indeed make them laugh.

A Partnership Built to Last: In the world of technology and innovation, where entrepreneurship can often be a lonely endeavor, Buddhika and Sasakthi have defied the odds. Their unique friendship, combined with their shared vision and expertise, has propelled Aloud to become a promising solution for breaking down language barriers on YouTube.